AMERICAN singer - song writer Josh Ritter plays Birmingham Glee Club next Wednesday.

He released his selftitled debut in 1999, following it up with three more studio LPs and a live album which won him a cult following.

Current release, The Historical Conquests of Josh Ritter, came out last month to rave reviews. We caught up with Josh over a coffee...

Q. Does it feel weird promoting your new record, nearly a year after it was finished?

A. "Well I went straight from recording it into a solo tour that was about two months long. Then I had some time off, something I’ve not had in a long time. Then I did some shows with my friend who is a concert violinist, and after that it was straight into touring and promoting. I hadn’t been thinking about rock music for a while, so now we’re playing the songs probably every night, they’re very fresh to me."

Q. When and where were the songs written for Historical Conquests?

A. "All the songs this time were written in the studio. That was one of the defining moments of the album. I’ve never done it that way before, normally I spend months writing in a room, then spend ages teaching them to the band and finally we all decide how we’ll record them. This time, it was the first time I’d heard some things, the first time the band had heard others things, and we put something together on the spot."

Q. Would you work like that again?

A. "Definitely. I’m not going to make a career out of it, but there are so many ways to make music and write songs so I wanted to try something new.

Q. How much pressure was there before this album?

A. "I didn’t feel a lot of pressure because in the end people think what they think. It doesn't really have a lot to do with me really. I’d be lying if I didn’t say I wanted people to like the record, though. The most important thing you can have these days, with so much music out there, is an opinion. If people have opinions about my music, no matter what they are, that’s a compliment as there’s so much stuff they could be writing about instead."

Q. You were studying neuroscience at university before becoming a musician. Are you glad you made the switch?

A. "Oh yeah! There’s no way I’d have been as happy. I had this idea that I could do science in the week and do music at the weekend, but there was no way that could have worked. Scientists are a bit like musicians though, I think. They both involve learning rules in your head, sticking to them and cutting other things off."

Call the Glee Club box office on 0971 472 0400 for tickets to Wednesday’s show